Time Traveler From 47th Century Warns of Environmental Catastrophe Caused by NFTs

November 25, 2X21 - Time Travel Agency Annex

A purported time traveler from the 47th century issued a warning today about the devastating effects of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the environment. "In my timeline, runaway NFT speculation and blockchain proliferation have caused an ecological catastrophe," said the traveler, who refused to give his real name.

The self-proclaimed time tourist claimed to have been sent on a mission to warn people of the present century about the dire consequences of unchecked growth in crypto markets and NFT trading platforms. "By the mid-4300s, the computational power required to maintain blockchain ledgers and process NFT transactions had nearly wiped out all natural resources," he said.

Entire continents had been drained of rivers and crops to provide energy for crypto mining and NFT art bidding wars, the traveler reported. “Most plant and animal species went extinct, and the oceans were deserts of plastic waste from old hard drives and graphics cards.” He urged people to adopt sustainable policies limiting blockchain use before this apocalyptic vision of the future could come to pass.

Critics have denounced the warnings as a hoax intended to undermine innovation in cryptocurrency and NFT technology. "If this supposed time traveler knew the future so well, he'd know we'd never let things get so bad," said spokesperson for OpenSea, a leading NFT marketplace. Supporters counter that it is irresponsible not to consider existential risks from blockchain-based markets, even if this particular case seems suspicious.

Experts in fields like ecology, computing, and cryptocurrency have started collaborating to determine if and how such a doomsday scenario might unfurl if present trends continue unchecked. "This may be crazy sci-fi stuff, but we have a duty to make sure tomorrow isn't a nightmare just because we were blind to threats today," said one researcher. The fate of NFTs and blockchain remains uncertain pending the results of studies on environmental impact, with some calling for bans and others demanding facts before fears shape policy. When it comes to the future, history is still unwritten. The time traveler's warning continues echoing through the annals of this pivotal moment.